26.07.17

SHADES OF BEAUTY… A YEAR ON
- Superdrug makes a pledge to further its beauty offering for women and
men of colour –

July 2016 saw the launch of Superdrug’s #ShadesOfBeauty campaign,
which was established to give a voice to women of colour, taking positive
steps as a retailer to help everyone find the products they need on the
high street.

This week the retailer marks its first year of the campaign and announces
its next steps to champion beauty on the high street for women and men of
colour.

Last year Superdrug made a pledge to make beauty more accessible and since
then has introduced over 110 products on the #ShadesofBeauty microsite,
launched 55 new darker toned foundations and now offers 80 specialist hair
products in over 200 stores.

Superdrug is in no doubt that there is still a long way to go in the beauty
industry to make products for women of colour truly accessible and now looks
to the next steps in the campaign.

To mark the second year of the campaign Superdrug has made a pledge to
extend the haircare range to all stores.

Secondly the store is now looking at how black and Asian men are served
and will look to introduce specific products to help with their grooming
regimes.

This summer saw the launch of B. Makeup. The team ensured the collection
includes a wide range of products from foundations, concealers to bronzers
all suitable for all skin tones, from the palest to the darkest , and these
will be introduced to all stores later this year.

The retailer is also launching its first ever collection of own brand products
suitable for afro hair.

There is concern in the industry that smaller niche brands may be overtaken
by big beauty brands looking to gain a more diverse customer base. To help
these smaller brands build their business Superdrug is delighted to announce
a special Open House mentoring event for potential suppliers to the Shades
of Beauty campaign.

June Sarpong, Shades of Beauty Official Ambassador comments, “Being
a part of the Shades Of Beauty campaign has been a fantastic experience.
Over the past June Sarpong year, I’ve had the opportunity to work
closely with Superdrug to drive forward this campaign and get the beauty
industry talking about this issue. It’s great to see that Superdrug
has actively taken on board feedback and has started to make the high street
more affordable and accessible for women of colour like me.”

Jo Mackie, Superdrug Customer & People Director comments, “Our
customers tell us this issue is incredibly important to them, so it’s
very high on our agenda too. We want to continue the campaign and work together
with our suppliers, colleagues and customers to make our stores truly accessible
for everyone.”

To mark the first year of the campaign and announce the next steps Superdrug
held a dinner at the Ivy Soho Brasserie. The event was hosted by Shades
of Beauty Official Ambassador, June Sarpong who welcomed media, bloggers
and those interested hearing more about the campaign. Rochelle Humes, who
has recently launched her range at Superdrug, Hi Glow, and TV presenter
and singer Jamelia also attended.